Bosch Zoo'o ProAnimal could be your pet vacuum cleaner

If you own a dog or cat, you might wonder why people who don’t own one even need a vacuum cleaner – after all, aren’t pet fur and paw-dirt pretty much entirely what vacuums are used to clean up? Well, if that were the case, you’d think that it wouldn’t be so hard to get them to pull the fur out of your carpets and upholstery. That’s where Bosch’s new Zoo'o ProAnimal vacuum comes into the picture. As its vaguely Irish-sounding name implies, it’s optimized for sucking up animal hair.

First of all, the ProAnimal features what is known as the AirTurbo system. This uses a compressor and large-diameter hoses to deliver an “extra-strong” stream of air to the vacuum’s turbo brush. That air flow spins the bristles and creates a return suction to such an extent that the ProAnimal is claimed to clean surfaces 30 percent faster than one of Bosch’s general-purpose models.

The turbo brush itself has two types of bristles – hard ones to get the dust, and soft ones to grab hairs. It is reportedly quite easy to remove for cleaning. While that brush is useful for cleaning carpets, an upholstery nozzle can be swapped in for working on furniture. It incorporates a 4x thread lifter (vacuum cleaner jargon), that adjusts to different types of material. If you want to vacuum your floor, there’s also a dedicated hard floor nozzle.

The turbo brush's two types of bristles

The vacuum is available is bagged and bagless models, both of which use a HEPA filter to keep fine particles and unpleasant odors out of their exhaust stream. The bagged version also features a microorganism-containing Bionic Filter, for further minimizing odors. For its part, the bagless model incorporates an automatic self-cleaning system.

Both versions of the Zoo'o ProAnimal are being unveiled in Berlin at IFA 2012, and will be available in stores starting in September. The bagged one will sell for €280 (US$350), while the privilege of going bagless will cost consumers €429 ($536).

An experienced freelance writer, videographer and television producer, Ben's interest in all forms of innovation is particularly fanatical when it comes to human-powered transportation, film-making gear, environmentally-friendly technologies and anything that's designed to go underwater. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta, where he spends a lot of time going over the handlebars of his mountain bike, hanging out in off-leash parks, and wishing the Pacific Ocean wasn't so far away. All articles by Ben CoxworthFollow @bencoxworth